Learning to fly RC is a great way to enjoy each other's company. One nice part of the club atmosphere is that you will find many very helpful people that are willing to share their experiences and their talents.

You will have several decisions to make, and all of them have some plus's and minus's.

For instance, if you decide to go electric, there are numerous planes that will do the job, but some are worth the effort, and some are not. Then, if you DO select electric, you will have to decide if you want to use LiPo battery packs or Nickle Metal Hydride (NiMH) or Nickle Cadmium (NiCd) packs. Then if you want to use brushed or brushless motors. And, each of these selections will need some additional care and feeding.

If you go glow, well, the choices are a bit easier, but there are other issues like fuel, learning how to start the engines and tuning them, and so on. Electrics don't need that type of tuning, you hook them up and then run them.

Glow fuel engines will pretty much keep the power level constant throughout the use of the tank of fuel, however, electrics tend to lose power as the battery pack drains down.

When you select glow, you can pretty much go with the engine that is recommended. For instance, if you get a '40' size trainer, well, a 40 sized engine will do the trick. With Electrics, well, there are a lot of choices, but not all choices will do the trick. You have to match weight and flying style with the motor/electronic speed control (ESC)/battery pack size and voltage. It gets complicate. However, they are much cleaner, "green" (no polution), and quiet.

All this can be discussed between you, your son, and the instructor at the club you visit, and hopefully join. A lot of clubs offer "junior" or "student" memberships where the "junior or student" does not have to pay dues as long as he/she is accompanied by the parent. Remember, they are not a baby sitting service. (not intended to be harsh, but just a reminder that they are there to fly their planes and don't want/need that responsibility. And, you never know.. you might get hooked too!! Then it becomes a win-win-win situation (win for you, your son, and the club).

So, do some reading here on RCU, find a club and talk to them, and go to your local hobby shop and talk to them. At the field, ask if they can recommend a hobby shop for you to go to. Not all hobby shops are willing to offer advice or help with choices... some will be more concerned about selling a product than helping out. You would end up with something that may look good, but is absolutely useless as a trainer.

By the way, I say hobby shop because they, too, need your support. You may save a few bucks with the mail order houses, and most of the good ones (Tower Hobbies, for instance) offer great support, speed in filling your order, and great prices. But, often, your local hobby shop will match the price you may get from the mail order houses. Hey, that does not mean you should ignore the mail order houses, because you can get some great pricing from them, but just remember your local hobby shop.

Enjoy yourself, and, remember that there are absoultely no stupid questions. Ask away.

CGr.